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Poker and Casino Games presents information on how to play Texas Hold'em Poker Games, Omaha Poker and even 7 Card Stud at these popular Online Poker Rooms.
Poker and Casino Games has compiled this helpful information to get you started in playing online poker games, from understanding how to play texas holdem, the terminology used during game play, and basic strategy to make your online poker experience more satisfying.
Learn to Play Texas Holdem Poker
How to Play Tournament Poker
Texas Holdem Strategy
Poker Hand Ranking
Poker Dictionary
Poker Chat
Mac OSX Compatible Online Poker Sites
Benefits of Playing an Online Casino
For years poker was played on the riverboats traveling the Mississippi and by the rogues of the Wild West. Today, we can now play poker every single day online at several online poker rooms. Dust off your best poker lingo, practice your very best poker face, and discover that little bit of rogue that resides in every gentleman at Bodog.com's online poker rooms.
The difference between starting your poker career off as a winner or as a loser is Game Selection, and this applies to online poker rooms as well as real world poker rooms. Choose the appropriate game for your bankroll and your skill level and you will be rewarded with a long and winning career in poker.
Make sure you have an adequate bankroll for the stakes of the game. Normal game fluctuations dictate that playing in a $3/$6 game with a $50 total bankroll will normally see you leaving the table broke and looking to deposit more money.
A good rule of thumb is to have a bankroll of about 20 times the big bet to consistently play at a particular limit (e.g. $20 to play at $.50/$1).
Some games are tougher than others, even though the limits are the same.
It is important to find a game that has weaker players as opposed to a game that has stronger players. This is a very important ingredient to poker success that you will pick up as you continue to learn the game.
Take some time to observe a game before sitting down, which can be done easily at online poker rooms. If it looks like a game full of tough players, then you should consider looking for another game. Look, the last thing you want to hear in the back of your mind is Matt Damon from the movie Rounders saying, "If you can't spot the sucker in the first half hour at the table, then you ARE the sucker."
There are two major ways to describe games and players at online poker rooms: Tight/Loose and Passive/Aggressive. And if you think that these game styles might also describe your ex-girlfriend or wife, well, that is probably fine too.
Tight/Loose describes how many hands a player will play. If they play very few hands, then they are considered Tight. If they play a lot of hands, then they are considered Loose.
Passive/Aggressive describes how often players tend to bet their hands. Passive players do not bet very often and prefer to call or check. Aggressive players tend to heavily bet their hands and rarely call or check.
The easiest and most profitable online poker rooms for the smart beginner are those that are Loose/Passive. These are games where players tend to play too many weak hands, and do not raise often enough when they have strong hands. These are the online poker rooms that beginning players should seek out.
The toughest games are those in which players play fewer hands and bet heavily when they do enter the pot. This is a Tight/Aggressive style of playing that all poker players should aspire to; conversely, these are exactly the types of players that you should be cautious of.
A real estate agent once said it was all about "location, location, location." In poker, as in life or the bedroom, position is everything.
Early Position is usually defined as the first three players to act after the blinds (for a full table). A player in early position should only play strong hands, as there are players to act after them who may raise.
Middle Position is usually defined as the next three players after the three early position players. A player in Middle Position may play slightly weaker hands than an early position player as they have the opportunity to see some of the action before them.
Late Position is usually defined as the last two players before the blinds. Players in Late Position may play a greater number of hands, as they are able to see the actions of the majority of the players at the online poker rooms table.
The blinds have the advantage of playing a diverse number of hands as they have already contributed either a partial or full bet. If there is a raise before them, then the blinds must often fold, as they will be in Early Position after the flop and so need a strong hand to continue.
So, you've taken your seat at the table but now the action is really going to heat up. And where you are sitting at the table determines, in part, how you should play the game.
Hand Selection is as important as Game Selection with online poker rooms, and will have a major impact on whether you are a winner in the long run. The hands mentioned here are just a rough guide to hand selections.
Playing more hands than this list suggests is perfectly fine if a player is comfortable with the action of the game. And, of course, the gentleman always abides by the following: variety is the spice of life. Note: suited cards are stronger than unsuited cards as they also have the possibility of making a flush.
...and any Ace with a same suited lower card.
In an un-raised pot: The same hands as Middle and Late Position.
In a raised pot: The same hands as Early Position.
Remember, everything you need to learn about poker can be learned from the Kenny Rogers' classic The Gambler. No, really you can, even in online poker rooms.
Learning the discipline of when to fold cards with online poker rooms will save you a lot of money over the course of your poker career. A good player will fold far more hands than they play.
Generally fold any hand not listed above on the pre flop betting round.
A player should typically fold their cards if the flop does not pair their high card(s), make three of kind, or flop two cards to a straight or flush.
A player should usually fold if the betting actions of another player(s) at online poker rooms convince them that they are beaten, or if they do not complete their straight or flush draws after the last community card is dealt.
Checking is a play that has advantages and disadvantages. Often you might consider raising or folding rather than checking.
A player should typically check if the community cards have not helped them.
Drawing hands are often checked in the hopes of seeing the next card for free.
If a player is unsure of whether or not they have the best hand at the showdown, then checking is often the best course of action at online poker rooms.
Calling is very similar to checking in that it has advantages and disadvantages. Often you should consider raising or folding rather than calling. Here's why:
A player typically shouldn't call if the community cards have not helped them.
Drawing hands are often worth calling a bet in the hopes of making a straight or a flush. Drawing hands usually require a slightly bigger pot or lots of players in the hand, as the odds of completing your draw are roughly about 4-1 against.
If a player is unsure of whether or not they have the best hand at the showdown, then just calling a bet is often the best course of action.
As with a fine wine or a beautiful woman, remember this... Know when to hold'em, know when to fold'em at online poker rooms as well as real world poker rooms.
A wise man once said that the very nature of poker is about betting and raising.
Betting, raising, and re-raising are instrumental weapons in a poker player's arsenal and at online poker rooms. And seriously, having an arsenal is not only a constitutional right in this country, but it also makes poker a heckuva lotta fun.
A player should bet, raise, or re-raise whenever they believe that they have the best hand. This is done to increase the amount of the bets in the pot and to protect their hand against drawing hands.
Players in late position may also bet or raise with strong drawing hands to either win the pot right away, or to enable them to receive a 'free' card on the next betting round when all the players who act before them check.
If a player flops or later makes a very strong hand, then checkraising becomes a powerful play to get extra bets into the pot. Players must be very confident that someone else will bet after they check for checkraising to be a viable option.
Betting, raising, re-raising, and checkraising are powerful tools when trying to deceive or bluff opponents in online poker rooms, but only when they are used sparingly.
A winning poker player will always be observing and watching their fellow poker players.
Analyzing your opponent's play allows a player insight into what hand their competitors may hold. This allows the observant player to make better decisions, and ultimately win more pots and lose fewer chips.
For inspiration on observation technique rent the classic 1974 Gene Hackman film, The Conversation.
A player should pay attention to other players and their actions even when not involved in the hand.
Use Bodog.com's note-taking feature at their online poker rooms to build up a database on other players and their habits.
A player should remember that their opponents might be watching them and so vary their own play occasionally.
With online poker rooms, tracking your slick opponent's every move is just a click away. With Bodog's online poker rooms note taking feature you can write down every quirk, tell, or pattern that will help you defeat the enemy.
Bluffing is an important part of poker and is a valuable tool for poker players. This is the gentleman's time to play the man rather than the cards... besides, chicks dig the bluff.
Bluffing can often win pots, and it allows you to create deception and uncertainty in the minds of your opponents.
Bluffing works better against a smaller number of opponents, and often will not succeed against a larger number of opponents.
Do not bluff players who tend to call too much. Bluffs tend to succeed better against players who are more willing to make a fold.
Be careful of bluffing too much, as opponents will soon catch on and will not be fooled.
Thanks to a little thing called the Internet we can play poker at home, the office, on road trips, or even at televised World Poker Tour events. We have been mercifully freed from the chains of the poker dark ages and now can play at Bodog.com's online poker rooms.
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